(A little late posting this, as Durga puja was October 20.)
Mother Durga comes down out of her Himalayan home for an
annual visit. West Bengal celebrates her
return by building elaborate pandals
to house statues of Durga and her four children. Made with bamboo and cloth, these very
intricate pandals are erected for
about a total of two weeks in every local community, and people spend each
evening pandal-hopping with family and friends all over the city. Similar to
Christmas trees and decorations, it’s pretty amazing how much work, thought,
and planning goes into creating these temporary structures. Some are very traditional; others have a
modern flair. No matter the style, every
Durga idol is submerged in sacred waters to return to her husband Shiva at the
end of puja. The festive spirit is in
the air, along with constant music, drumming, and firecrackers. Durga puja marks the start of about a month
of puja celebrations!
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| Simple pandal |
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| Elaborate pandal |
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| Traditional Durga idols |
Modern Durga idols
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| Remnants of idols floating in the sacred lake |
I'm so glad you shared pictures of the pandals! :)
ReplyDeletenice! hope you are well
ReplyDeleteSuperv pandal
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